Bonkers. That’s the first word that come to mind when I think of describing The Substance. It’s appropriate, but naturally, it is much more than that. It’s a unique, biting, audacious, and sometimes gross (literally) commentary on ageism, sexism, and the obsession with youth and beauty.
Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a once beloved celebrity whose star has lost its shine. This is beautifully shown at the beginning of the movie as we see Elisabeth get her star on the walk of fame. At first it is bright and shiny, and everyone wants to stop and take a picture. But as time passes, the shine fades, the star starts to crack, and it’s largely forgotten. As far as metaphors go, it ain’t subtle, but it’s effective.
When Elisabeth is fired from her morning exercise show, she becomes desperate to return to her glory days and decides to take a black-marker drug called the Substance. She doesn’t get much information about it other than it will unlock a better version of herself. And so, one injection later, Sue (Margaret Qualley) comes crawling out, quite literally. Apparently in Elisabeth’s world, ‘better’ means younger and hotter. The two now share a life, each getting 7 days out in the world while the other lays dormant, and then switching. Switching every week is the only true rule, with dire consequences for failing to comply.
Although they are in different bodies, Elisabeth and Sue are supposed consider themselves as one person. Elisabeth is the ‘true’ self while Sue is the supposedly ‘better’ version. They need each other, but eventually come to regard each other as enemies. Elisabeth resents the attention Sue is getting, and Sue, enjoying the attention, wants more than a week at a time. They have the same ego, and the reason Elisabeth wants the Substance is the same reason it becomes problematic. This all leads to a showdown and a clear display of just how much we’re willing to do to our true selves to keep our youth and beauty.
But it’s not just a commentary of those looking to maintain their youth. The camera leers and lingers over Sue’s body as if the movie were directed by Michael Bay. But this isn’t for titillation’s sake. It’s to show us the gaze, perhaps mainly of men, but I suspect of us all. We all lust after her, one way or another, for her youth and beauty. We’re all complicit.
The Substance seems to be labelled primarily as body horror. There is definitely a body horror element, and if you get queasy easily, you might have a tough time with this movie. There is certainly a lot of blood and gore. But I would not call this a horror movie. It is more of a dark comedy and cautionary fable. Director Coralie Fargeat leans into the body horror with full gusto, but never loses sight of the larger picture. You’ll be grossed out, but you may be laughing and thinking at the same time.
The cast is phenomenal. Demi Moore is getting a lot of praise for her performance, and she deserves all of it. Whatever the script calls for, Moore gives it everything she has and more. Her portrayal of Elisabeth is both tragic and funny. She’s always been a good actor, but this will go down as one of her finest performances.
Seemingly less talked about, but just worthy of praise is Margaret Qualley. I suspect this will go down as a career-defining moment for her. She perfectly captures the innocence of the young and beautiful, while also being able to switch to fierce and calculating when she realizes it is all fleeting. Truly, both performances are award worthy.
Dennis Quaid is also wonderful as (what I hope would be) the world’s sleaziest and most ridiculous TV executive (but suspect in real life would only be mid-tier). He only gets about 15 minutes of screen time, but he makes it memorable, chewing scenery everywhere he goes. For all the body horror in the film, watching him eat a plate of shrimp may be the most disgusting thing on screen.
The Substance is most definitely not for everyone and will surely be divisive. If you get queasy easily, I suggest you skip this. Otherwise, I think this is a movie that needs to be experienced. It's a wild ride. I can’t guarantee you’ll like it, but you will have strong feelings. And you’ll definitely be thinking about it long after the credits roll.
Have you seen The Substance? Are you planning to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.